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Please Help? I am looking for my Grandfather's place of birth. (Dennis P. Lowney)

CorkKilnamanagh (Cork)

Hello, I am posting from the United States. My Great Great Grandfather was born on June 26, 1851, in what I understand is "Kilnamanagh, Ireland". His headstone reads: Parish of "Hillmanaugh" or "Killmanaugh". It was likely an error by the guy was engraving the headstone in 1895 and decided to spell it like it sounded. I am confident that he was actually born in the Parish of "Kilnamanagh" as his headstone also reads "County Cork". "Kilnamanagh" is the closest name spelling to what is interpreted from the headstone. I have been told that he left Ireland to come to the UnitedStates with 3 brothers, Simon, Peter, and Patrick. I am desperate to find information on my Great Great Grandfather, I have his last name! I get thoroughly confused when I find things like this online:

Co. Cork Bear Kilnamanagh Civil Parish Allihies

Allihies is in the Civil Parish of Kilnamanagh. Allihies is in the Barony of Bear. Allihies is in Co. Cork

(I am not sure what any of this means)

Does anyone know of an online database or site that I could put my Grandfather's name and date of birth in and possibly search records? Does anyone know where a good place to start would be? I would be so grateful to anyone offering any kind of insight on my family.

My name is Jacoby Lowney and my email address is Jacobylowney@gmail.com My telephone# is 406-465-5667

Thank you in advance! Jacoby

IrelandXO member

12 replies

Jacoby:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

In your case, there is a free site where you can search for church records. www.irishgenealogy.ie  I think the record below is for your Denis. I also saw a record for Simon Launey Juy 12, 1848 Same parents living in Coom.

The 1852 Griffiths Valuation head of household listing for Kilnamanagh parish shows a number of Lowney records including Patrick in Coon (should have been Coom).

http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths/cork/kilnamanagh.htm

Let me know if you have questions. Here is the parish register for Allihies http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0005

Roger McDonnell

Area - KERRY (RC) , Parish/Church/Congregation - ALLIHIES

Baptism of DENIS LAUNEY of COOM on 8 December 1851

NameDENIS LAUNEYDate of Birth8 December 1851 (BASED ON OTHER DATE INFORMATION)AddressCOOMFatherPATRICK LAUNEYMotherMARGARET MURPHY

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Dear Mr. Roger McDonnell, First of all, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time and caring enough to research for me. I appreciate you more than you know! Do you suppose my Irish family name may have been Launey rather than Lowney? Is there a reason why my family might have changed the spelling when they arrived in the United States? 

I was also wondering... My Great Grandfather, Dennis Lowney was born on June 26, 1851. Assuming that he was Roman Catholic, would they have baptised him on the day of his birth or would they have waited a few months? I looked at the baptism record that you linked and I believe I saw a reference to a Launey on December 10th? I was having a difficult time deciphering the data. I also went to look in June but don't think I found anything. At the end of May, however, there seems to be an entry for a Launey but I cannot be sure. Is it the same family and if so, could it be a sibling? I was wondering if you could take a look at this for me? Would it be easier if I upload screen shots of the pages I found or is it easier to simply go to the site and do a search? Thank you so much again, I hope I am not bothering you! Jacoby

IrelandXO member

Greetings from Kilnamanagh (Allihies) where the sun is shining today - for a change.  I am 95% sure that Roger has identified the correct family for you but I will run some checks to make even more certain.  Is there anything more you can tell us about the birth dates for the brothers or any more details from the headstones in the Lowney plot in the graveyard in Butte.  If you don't have any more I can probably get a friend of mine in Butte to take a look for me in the graveyard for me.  It may take me a day or two to put some more detail together because from past experience I know what the follow-up questions will be.

1.  Can you identify exactly where the townland of Coom is located?  Answer - Yes.  Dead easy

2.  Can you identify exactly which house the Lowneys occupied?  Answer - Yes, although until I check the family may have built a new house after the one that the brothers left.

3.  Do I have any living relatives still living in the area?  Answer - Yes, although the connections are a bit distant now.

 

I have sent you a Facebook friend request and assuming you accept, I will invite you to join a closed Facebook group that I run to share Beara family investigations.

 

Best wishes

 

Ken

Beara Genealogy

Ken, Thank you for friending me! I gladly accepted. I read through your posts and your many pub ventures/check ins. Lol. I appreciate you more than you know! I am so desperate to find my Irish lineage. My Great Great Grandfather's headstone is somewhat vague as the name of the Parish doesn't seem to exist, past or present. (At least according to the name inscribed on it). Our guess was that the tombstone company inscribed it based on how it sounded as reportedly the family.

The only specific info on his headstone is his name: Dennis P. Lowney, Date of Birth, June 26, 1851, County Cork, Ireland, Death: July 10,1895 in Butte, Montana. He was a miner and married my Great Great Grandmother, Katherine Wholey who is from Bantry, Ireland.

They married in Austin, Lander County, Nevada. I don't know much about her either except that her headstone reads: 15 March 1857 and died on Nov 3,1942 in Butte, Montana. 

A typed genealogy recently discovered in a cousin's possession listed 3 brothers that came to the United States also, Peter, Simon, and Patrick. No dates of Birth or Death dates. I have no idea where they ended up. I was thinking that if I could find them, I might possibly find their descendants who just might have some clues for me!

I know that My Great Great Grandfather was in Michigan, (Mining), he then moved to Austin, Nevada (Likely in the late 1870s) and then to Butte, Montana in around 1887. I am not sure when he arrived but that typed genealogy does give a clue: Dennis P Lowney took out his first Naturalization Papers in Marquette County, Michigan in 1872 and was naturalized in Austin, Nevada in 1874.

 Is there any such thing as a Census record in Ireland that might list a "Dennis, Simon, Peter, and Patrick" all in the same household? 

 

Dennis P Lowney named his first born son, William Jeremiah Lowney, his second son was George Francis Lowney, and 3rd son was James Paul Lowney. His first born daughter was "Mary Elizabeth Lowney". The reason I am listing this is to see if you might have any insight on Irish naming traditions or if that was a practice that might hold some clues as to who Dennis P. Lowney's father and Grandfather might have been? 

Thanks Again Ken, As I am typing this, you are likely in bed! I look forward to hearing from you soon! Kindest, Jacoby

 

 

 

IrelandXO member

Jacoby:

My guess is that the surname was Lowney. You will want to look at the parish register using the link I gave you. Possibly the priest's handwriting was not the clearest and the transcriber saw Launey not Lowny. However, Simon's record was also Launey so who knows. Ken will have a better sense of the surname locally. (I live in the USA). I will look at the register and let you know. Normally a baptism happened within a week after birth.

 

Ken: Thanks for jumping in and helping out!

Roger

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Jacoby:

I looked at the December 10th register entry and it is clearly Launey but that was how the priest spelled the name.

I looked at the late May entry and that was for a John Launy father Michael and mother Mary Barrscul (sp) so a different family entirely but possibly a relation.

My sense is that Denis was likely born in early December and not June 26th. He may have changed his birth date and year when he came to America.

Roger

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer
IrelandXO member

Jacoby:

Your Coom townland is in Kilnamanagh civil parish Co. Cork. The RC parish is Allihies. (Civil parishes and RC parishes rarely match up). The confusion comes from the fact that Allihies and a few other RC parishes in West Cork are actually in the Diocese of Kerry which is  why the records you located show AREA Kerry (RC).

Not sure where Peter's record is. It may be on the register but maybe not. My grandmother had two older brothers and their baptismal records are not on the parish register.

Witnesses were usually siblings to the parents or friends of the parents.

Roger

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

Roger, thank you so much for the confirmation that these Lowneys found were from Coom townland, in Kilnamanagh civil parish Co. Cork. This makes me feel much better knowing that it is still close to what I am seeing inscribed on my Grandpa's headstone. You are a wealth of information! Is it possible that my Grandpa could have been born in June but not baptised until December? Could his headstone be wrong on the birth? His death certificate does not even list a birthdate which is odd! I guess the only evidence i have been going off of was the headstone. Do you suppose that whoever logged the baptisms could have made a spelling mistake by listing them as Launey rather than "Lowney"? Is it possible that he might have changed his name when he came to the US? If he did, why? Thanks Roger!  Jacoby

IrelandXO member

Jacoby:

I looked at the 1901 census for Co. Cork and there were 195 people with the surname Lowney and no one with the surname Launey. So I think the name was always Lowney but the priest wrote Launey.

I don't think Denis was born in June and baptized in December. For some reason, he may have changed his birth date to June when he came to America.

Roger

 

Castlemore RoscommonIrelandXO Volunteer

The Lowneys in Berehaven were originally O’Sullivans who came from beside the Laune River (Pronounced like “Lown”), Killorglin, Co. Kerry. They were called the Launeys after coming to Berehaven, and they eventually became known as the Lowneys.

Beara Genealogy

Beara Genealogy, Thank you for this wonderful information~  Does this apply to all Lowneys who share that surname? Is every Lowney at one point in History an O'Sullivan or Launey? Fascinating! 

IrelandXO member

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